Refrigerator



April 5, 1938.- D.C BERRY V 2,112,980

. REFRIGERATOR I Filed June 2a, 1937 5 Sheds-Sheet 1 S II 3mm: M DENNIS C 552W Q v r I 7,,,,,,, x K g %44% g v 5Y D. c. BERRY.

REFRIGERATOR April 5, 1938.

Filed Jun? 28, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet-3 D. c. BERRY 2,112,980

REFRIGERATOR Filed June 28, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 5, 1938.

0 u) zlwue/wboci DENNIS C. BERRY a m m a &

Patented Apr. 1938 UNITED STATE nnrmonasron Dennis 0. Berry, Taylor-sville, N. 0.

Application June 28, 1937, Serial No. 150,809 6 Claims. (Ci. 62-143) This invention relates to a refrigerator and more especially to a refrigerator of the bottle type for refrigerating bottled beverages wherein fin coils or other suitable type of coils are dis- 5 posed along the front and rear walls of the interior of the refrigerator as well as along the top of the refrigerator and wiped by the air circulating in the refrigerator, withsuitable doors provided on the upper portion of the rear wall 10 of the refrigerator.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an elongated refrigerator having a front wall, and a rear wall of lesser height than the front wall, with a top disposed thereon and projecting forwardly of the upper edge of the front wall and having an inclined portion along the rear upper portion thereof, provided with a plurality of sliding doors. A compartment hidden from view of customers is also provided in which a suitable water spigot is placed, the water sup- 7 ply for said spigot entering the same through a series of water coils disposed in the bottom of the refrigerator below the stacks of bottled or canned beverages disposed therein.

, It is a further object of this invention to provide a. refrigerator having coils for refrigerating the interior of the same disposed along the front and rear walls and in the top portion of the refrigerator and not extending to the bottom thereof whereby the desired circulation is obtained and perfect refrigeration is the result.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a refrigerator having refrigerating coils disposed along each side thereof and adapted to be wiped by the air circulating withinthe refrigerator, said coils being disposed at the proper position relative to the bottom and top of the refrigerator to provide the proper cooling of the air currents therein and the contents of the refrigerator and preventing freezing of the beverages in the bottom of the refrigerator.

I This coil. arrangement provides balanced refrigeration in all portions of the refrigerator and at the same'time avoiding freezing temperature in any portion of ,the refrigerator. In other words, the temperature differential between the high and low temperatures is very small.

in types of refrigerators heretofore used not having the top coils therein, imperfect circulation of the air currents has'resulted, thus causing freezing temperature-in the bottom of 'the box and warm temperature in the top of the box and thus resulting in imperfect cooling of the articles stored-within the refrigerator. If the coils on the side are extended to the bottom,

' cabinet;

freezing temperatures sometimes result, which is not desired in a bottle refrigerator. So far as I am aware, I am the first to provide a refrigerator of the dry type havingpcoils adapted to have circulated therethrough and therearound 5 the air in the refrigerator and said coils being disposed not only on each side of the refrigerator but also in the top thereof.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the de- 10 scription proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is an isometric view of my refrigerator looking at the rear side thereof;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken 15 along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; I

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 3, as well as along the line.4l in Figure 6;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a sectional plan view taken along 2 the line Bi in Figure 1;

Figure 'I is an isometricwiew of one of the separators disposed within the refrigerator for supporting stacks of bottled or canned beverages and the like; I 30 Figure 81s a transverse vertical sectional view similar to Figure 3, but showing a slightly modified form of the invention;

Figure 9 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through one end of the refrigerator and 35 taken along lines 3-9 in Figure 8.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numerals l0 and Il indicate the front and rear base pieces of the cabinet. The interior of the cabinet has a metallic lini l4 extending en 40 tirely over the interior of th cabinet as to bote tom 4, front and rear walls 5 and-6, top wall I P and end'walls a and s, excepting the openin where the doors are disposed. The exterior of the cabinet is enclosed by suitable sheets l3, I5, 5\ I8, I]. and I8, and between the inner and outer walls'of the cabinet suitable insulation material I! is placed; A suitable baseboard 20 is disposedon the exterior fi-ont and side portions of the A suitable top II is also disposed on 50 the cabinet and is bound by a suitable metallic I binding 22.- A suitable frame 23 is provided for sliding doors 2|, said sliding doors having grooves 25 in the upper and lower edges thereof into Ib upp ton ues 55 which tongues IQ project.

and groovesare of greater length and depth than the lower tongues and grooves so the doors can be removably mounted in position. A suitable facing or binding 2.! extends around the opening where the doors are mounted. The corners of the cabinet have suitable angle shaped members 28, disposed over all exposed corners of the same. A suitable pocket 29 is formed along the bottom of rear wall so the clerk can place his toes in the pocket and reach further forward than if the pocket were not provided. Disposed on the hottom 4 of the cabinet is a plurality of bars 30, which support a cold water coil 3| entering the cabinet through pipe 32. After the coil is passed back and forth in the bottom of the cabinet it extends by means of pipe 33 upwardly and into a pocket 34 disposed on the rear side of the cabinet, where a suitable automatic water spigot 35 is disposed. A wastefpipe 35 is connected to the lower portion of pocket 34 for waste water to pass into the sewage system, not shown. This water spigot by being so encased on the rear of the cabinet removes .the same from the view of customers who, not seeing any available supply of cold water, will order a bottled beverage as a thirst quencher instead of ordering a glass of water. However, if a customer requests a glass of water, it is instantly available to be served to him. f

Disposed longitudinally of the cabinet are a couple of bars 31 on which is disposed a plurality of transversely disposed slats 38, spaced from each other, to form a false bottom for the refrigerator disposed immediately above the cold water coil. 7 The bars 31 have notches 31a in their lower-edges to give better circulation of air inside the cabinet or refrigerator. On this false bottom are adapted to be disposed at suitable intervals, upstanding supports or separators '40 which are constructed as shown in Figures 5 and 7. The members 40 comprise an -upright portion 4! which, at its base is bent at right anglesto form portion 42 and then it is reversely bent to form a base 43 thus providing a rigid support which can be'placed on the false bottom to form the desired number of compartments in which the articles to be refrigerated may be stored. The portion 4| has perforations 44 to aid circulation of air through the packages disposed in the refrigerator. When articles are taken from between any pair of these supports-thesupports will prevent the articles between the other pairs of supports from rolling downwardly into the vacant space made by removal of the bottles or other articles from the cabinet- Disposed within the cabinet are a plurality of refrigerating coils which are shown of the dry I fin type of coil, although I desire it to be understood that an ordinary coil devoid of fins could be used; however, it would probably not be as 52, secured to the lower surface of .the lining for the top of the box. Also secured to said strap members-are baflies l3 and 54 which are disposed beneath and for the entire length of the coils ll, said bailies being. turned upwardly at their lower edges so that the condensation from the coils will be caught by the baffles and con-' ducted to the ends of the box where they waste into suitable waste-receiving apparatus (not shown) or the condensation may drip onto the bottom of the refrigerator.

Connected to the other end of coil 5! is a pipe x 55 which is connected to one end of a coil 56 ,the coils. It will be noted that the top coil at has the upper edge of its fins disposed a substantial distance from the upper lining of the box so as to provide air circulating space above the fins and the coil 5|. The coils or evaporator 56 is spaced from the inside surface of the rear wall so the air circulating in the refrigerator can pass on all sides of the coils to wipe all portions of the coils.

Thecoils 56 have leading from the other end thereof a pipe 60 which is disposed along one end of the box and is connected to the upper end of coil 6| disposed along the interior surface of the front wal15 of the box, that is, the side of the box remote from where the clerk stands. The coil 6| is supported in place by means of a plurality of strap iron members 63 being secured by any suitable means such as screws 58 to the interior lining l4 of the refrigerator. Coil 8| likewise has fins 59 as above described, to increase the heat absorption properties of the coil. The other end of coil 5| has connected thereto a pipe 64 which leads to the return side of the compressor, the compressor and expansion unit not being shown but being of conventional design.

The upper and lower projecting corners of the fins which are disposed around 0011s 56 and GI haveplaoed thereover suitable guard angles 65. These angles prevent the corners from injuring the clerk's hands or arms while reaching into the compartment'to remove some of the contents.

Secured to the front interior lining of the refrigerator is a plurality of brackets 61 which are adapted to support a plurality of spaced slats 68 forming a suitable shelf for deposit of beer mugs and other suitable articles and yet at the sametime allowing. circulation of air therebetween.

This type of shelf does not interfere in any substantial manner with the circulation of the air within the refrigerator.

Warm air, as is well known, has a tendency to rise to the top of a refrigerator. Also there is a substantial heat absorption through the door or doors of a refrigerator of the type shown. In order to compensate for this, the refrigerant is passed first through the top coil and then through the coil disposed along the lower rear wall and thenthrough the coil disposed along the interior surface of the front wall where there is the least, heat loss. By passing the refrigerant through the coils in this manner, balanced refrigeration is obtained in all portions of the interior of the refrigerator.

Figures 8 and 9 show a slightly modified form of the invention in which the coils have the same the prime notation added, and it is to be observed that the coils 56' and GI are disposed vertically instead of horizontally as in the other figures.

Furthermore, it is to be observed that coil 51' instead of being located in the extreme top of the cabinet is located some distance below the top and forms a shelf instead of-the slats 68 in the other figures.

Also each of the side coils 56' and louvers 62 disposed thereover so that the rising or ascending air currents will be directed inwardly against the coils and aid in causing the circulating air to wipe the coils disposed on each side of the cabinet. It should be observedthat these coils are shown as ordinary coils and not of the fin type as the fins would probably interfere with the wiping of the coils by the circulat- In the right-hand portion of Figure 9 it should be observed that the louvers G2 are broken away, it being evident thatthe vertical type of coil as shown in Figures 8 and 9, can be employed with out louvers, if desired.

The coilsSB' and GI are secured in position by any suitable means such as U-shaped brackets III which in turn are secured to the inner surface of the cabinet and encircle the upper and lower portions of the coils at their bending point.

The louvers 62 are secured in position by any suitable means such as strap members 1! .to

- which thelouvers are suitably secured by rivets and the like and said members ll being supported by the inside surface of the front and rear walls of the cabinet.

The above-described features, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, theother portions of the cabinet and the refrigerating apparatus bear like reference characters as shown in the other figures of the drawings.

Actual experiments have been conducted by providing a window in one end of the box to determine exactly the circulation of air currents within the refrigerator. With a drawing of the refrigerator before the-witnesses, smoke producing articles such as small smoke bombs were placed within the refrigerator after it had become thoroughly chilled, and with all doors closed the circulation of air currents was found to be as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3. With the box full of chilled bottled beverages the circulation of the air currents is indicated by the bold and dotted lines shown in the upper halfof the box, that is, the bottom of the box being balanced as to refrigeration. Very little circulation of the smoke was noticed between the bottles, but the currents of air'would rise along the interior of the front wall 5 and also upwardly inside the sliding doors and would pass above the top coils and downwardly through these coils and through'the opening between baiiles 53 and 54, on account of the bailies 53 and 54 being chilled, someof the currents of air would strike the lower surfaces of these bailles to be chilled and defiected downwardly. Upon the cold air currents reaching the top surface of the bottled beverages,'heat would be absorbed from these bottled beverages and the air would move to-the front and rear of the box and rise again.

With the box empty of bottled beverages the circulation shown by dotted arrows would occur, but with the refrigerator filled with unchilled wardly in the center of the, box as indicated by El has arise vertically, but on the rear of,the. box the sliding doorsact as deflectors to guide the air currents upwardly into contact with the top coils.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims..

I claim:

1. An elongated dry type of refrigerator having front and rear walls and a top and having a plurality of doors disposed in an inclined plane between the rear edge of the topand the top edge of the rear wall, said top and said rear and front walls each having a refrigerating coildisposed adjacent the inner. surface thereof and wiped bythe air circulating within the refrigerator, all of said coils being connected in series.

2. A refrigerator having a. refrigerating coil disposed immediately below .the lower surface of the top, and having a second refrigerating coil disposed along the inner'surface of the rear wall and a third refrigerating coil disposed along theinner surface of the front wall, and having a door disposed between the first coil and the second coil, the refrigerant being passed through the coils in the order named whereby the first and second coils have the greatest heat absorption in the order named, to compensate for the heat losses through said door and to provide heat absorption in those portions of the refrigerator where warm air is wont to collect.

3. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having afront wall, a rear wall, end walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, evaporators mounted one parallel to the top wall, one parallel to the front I wall and one parallel to the rear wall, and conduits connecting said evaporators in series to cause the refrigerant to flow through the evaporators in series, each evaporator including a coil spaced a short distance from its respective wall and arranged in position to be wiped by air circulating inthe refrigerator, the rear wall including a portion arranged to cooperate with the evaporator carried by said rear wall to direct the currents of air over the evaporator spaced from the top wall.

4. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a front wall, a rear wall, end walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, evaporators mounted one parallel to the top wall, one parallel to the front wall and one parallel .to the rear wall and conduits connecting said evaporators to cause the ried by said wall to direct the currents of air over the evaporator spaced from the top wall.

5. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet havinga front wall, a rear wall, end walls, a top wall and a bottom 'wall, evaporators mounted one parallel to the top wall, one parallel to the front wall and one parallel to the rear wall and conduits connecting said evaporators to cause the refrigerant to flow in series through the evaporators, each evaporator including a conduit section arranged in position-with respect to its wall to be wiped by air circulating in the refrigerator,

.the rear wall including a portion arranged to cooperate with the evaporator carried by said rear wall to direct the currents of air over the i evaporator spaced from the top wall.

lesser height than the front wall, a plurality of sliding doors disposed in an inclined plane between the top of the rear wall and the rear edge of the top, the rear wall having a refrigerating coil disposed in spaced relation to its inner surface and stopp ns a substantial distance from the bottom of'the rear wall, the front wall also having a refrigerating coil disposed in spaced relationto its inner surface and also stopping short of; the bottom of the front wall, said top having a refrigerating coll disposedjimmediately beneath the same and in spaced relation thereto, whereby the warm air rising from the warm articles in the refrigerator will not be allowed to localize in the upper portion of the refrigerator, but will be chilled and caused to move towards the lower half of the refrigerator.

DENNIS C. BERRY-L 

